


Prompt 20 (Helena 2)

by Yoselin



Series: L&L Tumblr Prompts [24]
Category: Love & Legends (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-07-01 17:34:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15778818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yoselin/pseuds/Yoselin
Summary: “Dance with me.”Originally posted to Tumblr.





	Prompt 20 (Helena 2)

I can feel Helena’s anxiety from my seat next to her. A dark cloud hangs over her head and her posture is rigid. We have been away from the Witch Queen’s castle for weeks now and have not felt any more welcome by Reiner or the retainers.   
They hate us, no questions asked. Their expressions are constantly weary and every movement we make is met with scrutiny. It is like they are holding their breaths awaiting for an attack. If Helena even moves to blink, Altea tenses in her seat and her hand moves to her staff. Their resentment is almost palpable and none of our actions can soothe away their worries.   
Tonight, in the Falke Inn, Asta has set a spread of dinner before us. Steam wafts from plates and the chatter of people surrounds us. The room is jovial and amicable, but Helena is on edge.   
I reach my hand under the table and take her fingers in mine. Applying a firm squeeze, I silently let her know that I am at her side. The world may be against her, but I will always be the one she can count on.   
Angling my head to be able to see her, I intertwine our fingers together. Her hands are clenched into fists and I feel the unease simmering under her skin.   
Large crowds like tonight make her nervous. Altea’s glare from across the room makes her anxious. And the memories of the castle and the abuser she left behind torment her.   
“Do you want to stay?” I whisper it under my breath and meet her gaze head-on. As lovely as the dinner is, I am more than willing to leave it were she to wish it so. Helena’s comfort matters more than my own.   
“No,” Helena’s reply is instant. Her eyes still show her discomfort and her posture is still stiff, but she sounds soothing as she says it. Perhaps she also thinks like me. Perhaps she thinks my own comfort is worth more than hers.   
I trace a pattern across her knuckles and turn back to my plate. Asta has filled it with a steaming stew that tastes better than anything back in Chicago. Still, the meal goes down poorly. Between Helena’s tension and the retainer’s watchful eye, the food leaves a taste similar to ash in my mouth.   
I turn my body to shield Helena from Saerys. He is staring at our table as if waiting for something to happen. Like Altea, his body is coiled in a way that proves he will act in a moment’s notice were we to give him a motive.   
“Try the bread, Heloise made it herself,” I try to distract Helena. I tear a piece from my roll and offer it to her lips.   
The distraction works and some of the tension across Helena’s back dissipates. Her cheeks take on a small red hue and she accepts my offering with a hesitant bite.   
She is still not used to being treated with affection, I note. The thought twists my stomach a bit and I have to bite my lip.   
Helena endured something no one should ever have to live through. She was rejected by her family, outcasted by her village, and abused by an evil woman who never saw her as more than a thing to be owned. She has been through hell and back and she continues to wait. A part of her is still trapped within that castle and chained by her abuser. A part of her still has not accepted the fact that she is something wonderful and worthy of being loved. A part of her is still not used to my affection and touch.   
I offer Helena a smile and bump playfully against her shoulder. Perhaps playful banter will chase away the insecurities for a moment. She needs a distraction from the voices within her which tell her that she is not worthy of sitting feet from the retainers.   
“Do you like it?” I nod at the bread roll Helena is reaching for. My sample has prompted her to eat more. I am relieved when I see her barely-touched food diminish with every spoonful.   
Helena’s back relaxes more and more with every bite. Warm food in her stomach and my jovial company slowly begin to chip away at the darkness that clouds her. Her mood lifts slightly with every passing second.   
I reach out my fingers and push a strand of her hair behind her ear. She leans into my touch and her cheeks redden just a bit. Her mouth lifts up in another smile and she moves her head to kiss my receding fingers.   
My own smile appears and I press myself closer to her body. Being with her is something that I will always cherish. These small moments where I can feel her breath on my skin, feel the electricity that comes from every touch, and feel her love for me in every beat of her heart, is a treasured blessing.   
Helena closes her eyes as if the force of affection between us is something too passionate to see. I feel the last of her mental walls come down around me and she edges closer. Her breath is just inches from my lips and she could kiss me if she wanted to.   
“Everything is better when you are at my side, my love,” she murmurs. Her whisper is faint, reverent, and it takes my breath away.   
Another surge of affection wells within me. At this point, I know I am lost to her. I will never love another the way I love her. I’ve had lovers in the past, people that have made my heart race, but nothing compares to the wonderful presence that is the woman next to me. She is a gift from the heavens even if she does not see herself as that way.   
“I will always be by your side,” I whisper it back. I try to pour every inch of love and affection that I have for her in those words. Try to pack everything that I feel for her in a simple phrase.   
It is impossible to put a million feelings into words, but I think I am slightly successful if only for the way I see her smile grow.   
She relaxes at my side, worries gone but not forgotten. I lift her hand to my lips and press a reverent kiss there to the space of her fourth finger, where one day I will hopefully be able to prove to her just how dedicated I am to her.   
We stay in silence for a moment, content to just be next to each other, and bask in our presence. The world around us melts away until it is nothing more than a speck within our shared universe. The retainer’s distrust matters not. The way Altea is still coiled to strike from her seat is inconsequential. And the fact that the war is still raging outside the inn seems like a minor inconvenience in the love that is between us.   
It isn’t until a few more minutes of enjoying each other’s presence that I hear the melody. A patron of the inn, a visitor from a nearby country, launches into a foreign tune on their instrument. The mood within the dinning hall shifts fractions and people begin to sway to the rhythm. Asta takes August’s hand and leads him to a cleared out space where they can dance. Others begin to rise to their feet to join in the melody.   
I watch their dances with a soft smile. Dancing was never something I enjoyed in the past, but now I find myself swaying to the elven melody.   
Next to me, Helena is also staring at the music. Music is something she has not been able to enjoy in a very long time. I cannot imagine the Witch Queen was the sort to allow it in her withered and frozen kingdom.   
An idea sparks in my mind and I let myself be carried away by the soft rhythm. I stand from my seat and extend a hand to Helena. I offer her my best smile, the one reserved only for her, and bow just a fraction.   
“ **Dance with me** ,” I say. It is not an order, merely a request. Were she to turn me down, I would not be displeased in the slightest.   
It takes her a moment to think about her answer. I see her eyes drift to Reiner’s table where he is examining us closely. While his face is neutral, there is still a familiar edge to the air about him. He is weary of us as the rest and is watching our every move.   
Worry lines Helena’s brow when she realizes that more than one person is staring. Every retainer except August, still dancing with his mother, is watching her. Their gazes are either encouraging, like Iseul’s, or distrustful, like Altea’s.   
I sense her apprehension and move so that my body blocks her from sight. Again, I extend my hand.   
“Let them see,” I smile. _Let them see us together. Let them see how much we love each other. Let them see that I will always have your side._  
Finally, Helena relents. Now free of their stares, I can see the pleasure that lights in her eyes. She smiles and the sight is radiant. I am sure thousands of artists would have killed to paint her then.   
She takes my hand in hers and lets herself be walked to the dance floor. The song changes to a faster melody, the elven musicians working their instruments at a rapid pace, and I let the beat move me.   
Dancing was never a strong suit of mine, Chicago wasn’t exactly the type to showcase the medieval dances the people around us are doing, but it doesn’t matter. Between Helena leading us into whirls and quick movements and the music swirling around us, thoughts of everything else subside.   
It does not matter that the people around us are still distrustful. As long as she is by my side, I will prove to her just how worthy she is of being loved.   
I let her spin me, laugh as my world does circles, and press against her. I feel her own excitement through her touch. Her eyes are warm and lit up with every bit of love she has for me, her mouth is almost beaming in a beautiful smile, and her hands against me are warm.   
The music shifts and a slower melody comes to play. A slow song starts up and our dancing changes to match it. Again, I falter with the steps, but it doesn’t seem to matter. Every time I hesitate on how to move, Helena is there to guide me with a warm hand on my back and a soft smile.   
We get as close as we can for the dance. Her forehead rests against mine and I close my eyes to better feel her. The space between us is paradise. It is like the world around us melts away. I can no longer feel the stares and whispers on us. Here, in this moment, together, we are free from a world that still reaches for a weapon when we draw near. Here, nothing matters but us and our love for one another.   
Helena must feel the same way because I feel her shiver against me. Love and so much more shines in her eyes and she moves her head long enough to kiss me. The kiss tastes sweet and I can feel just how much she loves me.   
As soon as she draws away, I chase her back. One kiss turns to several. I kiss her until the music changes again and we have to shift our dance to fit it. Another slow song with a slightly faster tempo begins.   
Her hand comes around my waist and she guides us to the rhythm. Her cheek presses to the top of my hair and I hear her whisper just over the soft melody.   
“I love you,” she murmurs.   
I melt against her, feel sparks everywhere we are touching, and lean up to be able to whisper in her own ear.   
Putting emotions into words is difficult, and condensing everything I feel for her into three words is harder still, yet I give it a try. It is important that Helena knows just how deeply I feel for her.   
“I love you too, Helena Klein,” I whisper. By the way she smiles, I think she can feel all of my love.   
I relax against her and let the melody consume us. Once more, in her arms, the world melts away around us. Nothing else matters but our shared love and affection. I close my eyes and savor the feeling of her heartbeat against me.  
 _I love you, Helena Klein. Even if the entire world is against you, you will always have me at your side._


End file.
